Browns’ Quinn fails to convert

By Zachary Bardou  |   Monday, August 25, 2008  |  Comments( 6 )

Cleveland Browns
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With starter Derek Anderson missing the Cleveland Browns’ preseason matchup against the Detroit Lions on Saturday, backup Brady Quinn got his chance to stir up a quarterback controversy. Head coach Romeo Crennel has insisted all along that no controversy existed; now it's official.

After floundering against the Giants' vaunted pass rush last Monday, Anderson sustained a mild concussion, granting Quinn the opportunity to lead the first-team offense in Detroit. Had the young quarterback excelled, even more fans would have joined the ever-growing BQ Bandwagon and a quarterback quandary may have blossomed. Instead, Quinn looked like the young and inexperienced second-stringer he is.

The Ohio native completed 14-of-24 pass attempts for a mere 106 yards, playing into the third quarter. Not only did he fail to record a touchdown pass, he was unable to lead the team on a single drive that resulted in more than three points against a suspect Detroit defense. While he did not throw any interceptions, Quinn came awfully close on several occasions and performed miserably on third down, converting just 1-of-7 opportunities. Twice on third and 3, under no pressure whatsoever, he missed his receiver badly.

It was apparent that Quinn is not yet able to read defenses, process options and then execute as quickly as the NFL game moves around him, a skill set that can only developed through extensive study and repetition.

It looks as though Quinn still needs more of both. While it is worth pointing out that many of the Browns’ primary offensive weapons were unavailable for Saturday’s game, the Lions' defense is not exactly the toughest Quinn would face as the Cleveland starter, and he played against a lot of the backups in the second quarter and early minutes of the third.

Braylon Edwards, Jamal Lewis, Willie McGinest, Sean Jones, Brodney Pool and Joshua Cribbs all missed the contest with a variety of ailments. Most of those players do, at least, expect to be ready for the opener.

The Browns were embarrassed by the opposition again Saturday and, despite the injury rash and Crennel’s “vanilla” schematic approach to the exhibition games, it appears there may be cause for concern in Cleveland. The secondary has looked dreadful, the offensive line appears to have regressed and undisciplined penalties have granted opponents a staggering 245 yards through three contests. But hey, this is still just the preseason, and any notion of a controversy under center has been put to bed.

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About Zachary Bardou

I am a freelancer journalist, editorialist and blogger from Richmond, VA. I graduated from the University of Richmond in 2002 with a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism and my work has since appeared in Richmond Magazine, Style Magazine, High Times Magazine, Elmore Magazine, Shoutmouth.com and...
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